A telephone-based intervention for increasing the use of osteoporosis medication: a randomized controlled trial

To evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone-based "virtual" osteoporosis clinic in increasing the use of osteoporosis medication assessed at 1 year after receipt of a prescription.

Randomized controlled trial.

Women 60 years and older with previously undiagnosed osteoporosis were randomized to evaluation and treatment by a dedicated telephone-based osteoporosis clinic with monthly telephone follow-up until medication was successfully started (intervention) or to usual care provided by their primary care physician (control). A successful outcome was defined as having filled a prescription for a 3-month supply of medication within 130 days, marking 1 year and 30 days since enrollment.

A total of 235 women underwent randomization, and 211 received the allocation. Of 109 women in the telephone-based osteoporosis clinic group, 75 (68.8%) were using osteoporosis medication at 1 year compared with 46 of 102 women (45.1%) in the usual care group (P <.001). A poststudy questionnaire showed no significant differences between the groups in regard to knowledge about osteoporosis or attitude toward their osteoporosis care provider. The significant increase in osteoporosis medication use with the telephone intervention occurred at the same time that an independent health maintenance organization-wide program promoting osteoporosis treatment seemed to improve overall rates of use.

The use of osteoporosis medication among women with newly diagnosed osteoporosis may be significantly improved by a simple intervention based on monthly telephone follow-up. Overall use of osteoporosis medication in this trial may have been increased by a systemwide initiative to improve osteoporosis care conducted concurrently with the trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00145067.).